The Irish standard., 1887-04-02
"My goodness!" exclaimed both the la

dies
''Iss, indeed James continued, gath
ering his hands together under the
skirt of his coat, and renewing his nod
of emphatic assertion.
'And is he below, James?" inquired
Mrs. Byrne.
ooh, below! what below, ma'am?"
said James, his head recoiling with a
tone and action of remonstrance and
astonishment-''I Is it into the house he'd
come? No, indeed. But I'll tell you
WHAT he added. walking few PAGES
further into the centre of the room,
placing his cauboge (old hat) upon a
chair. looking fxedly in the eyes of his
auditors, and throwing his disencum
bered arms out from his shoulders, as
if preparing for regular grafton.
Here's the way it was. Goen to the
ford, over, was, this mornen. to water
the little filly-foal, the same that Miss
Lilly there used to be riden, whin
she'd be along with him land good
warrant you had at it, too, MISS" he
interpolated by way of parenthesis,
while he grinned at Lilly, an trotten
along, thinker O. nothen, along the
road, whin all of a student, I felt a
great change comen in the basic under
me. Oh, sarrow word of lie I'm
tellen. Lord save us! says I, is it any
! then bad that's there? and hardly the
word was out O. me mouth, whin
'James!' says he, above upon the hedge.
Oh, it's fact. 'James!' says he, on the
hedge. Lord between us and harm,
says 1, who is that's callen me? says 1.
Don't you know me, James?' says he
again; Mr.. Kumba, indeed, he did. Aw
thin, sur, says I, is that you? ''Tis,
indeed, James, says he. So we stopped
a minute, looken at one another. Why
| thin. it's a long while since seen you,
now, sir, says L He made me no
answer to that, but after a while.
James, says he, I'm sorry for your
trouble, westwards.' Heavens will be
done, sir, says I, you needn't tell me
that, an sure twas true for me, ma am
for" looking all.round the room for
an llustration-''see, twas as pale as
this table cloth, his face was-and his
eyes sunk in his head. within, an his
cheeks all gone, intirely. He looked,
you'd think, as if he wasn't there at all,
you'd think, Almost. Not but,'' he add
ed, on meeting Lilly's eye-"he's greatly
improved from what he was, I'm told,
and thriving again very fast, but still
an all 'twould make the stones weep to
look at him. We'll, James, isn't it
greatly they wouldn't let me come
near 'em, at ALL says he, AN my heart
bleeden to hear about it. He did, in
deed, miss. Sir, says 1, sarious, this
way, I never spake o. the famaly, says
1, but there never was a smoke with
out a fire yet, an begging your pardon,
says 1, may be, if you behaved honester
ii. e. more mildly whin you were there,
you'd have the liberty O. the place to-
day, saws I, the same as ever. why,
then, I believe it's true for you, James,
says he, and then he continued moven
unaisy about for a feow minutes, like
one that woulk have somethen on his
mind, you'd think; an at last, James,
says he, would you do me
favor now, an I'll do as much
for you another time,' says he. If you
never did anything for me, sir, says I,
I'll do it and welcome, and I would too,
ma'am. With that, he put it into nv
hand-the letter-he did, and says he,
don't let your young missiz see you
given of it., James, says he-'an' I'll
wait here says he, until such time as
you bring me an answer, and don't de-
lay it, James, if you can, for my heart
is within it, says he. He did indeed.
Signs on, see the state I'm in, racen
neither wit it," he continued, pressing
his open hand upon his brow, and wlp-
ing away some drops of perspiration,
''an' there he is. waiting this way, over,
in the sally grove, seeing would he get
a favorable answer to the petition"
And having graced his peroration with
suitable gesture, James took up his
hat again, and remained silent, looking
alternately into the eyes of both his au-
ditors, as if to observe the effect of his
narrative. H.. 49,.
sHe has taken the proper course, at
all events" said the old lady, showing
the superscription. To Mrs. Byrne,
Drumscanlon, to her daughter.
Lilly did not answer, but her glowing
cheek and Frightening eye showed tina
her mothers observation was not lost
upon her.
IAN 1 to wait for the commands be-
low, ma'am?" said James-an innate
sense Of delicacy Ia quality which even
the humblest Of the Irish possesses to a
great degree, in common with tie peo-
pie of strong feelings) informing him
that, although they had forgotten his
presence, it could not but be an incum-
brance al the present moment.
"YOu NAV. James," said Mrs. Byrne,